Brushes
by luna-ish
Summary: Just when YiJung finally starts to seriously contemplate if he should date GaEul, another girl appears in his life, changing it, and changing also the lives of those around him.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter One

_Yi Jung_

"Ya, So Yi Jung. Ga Eul-sshi has been chasing after you for so long, and we all know you do like her, even if you say it's just a little bit, so why won't you just stop playing around and date her already?" Song Woo Bin laughed as he took another sip of wine. Goo Jun Pyo and Yoon Ji Hoo also started laughing to themselves as Yi Jung drank half his glass of wine in frustration.

His friends had been disturbing him about Ga Eul, and what angered him most was that they seemed to understand him better than himself. Before he had even admitted to himself that he had indeed, horrors of horrors, fell in love with Chu Ga Eul, they had been hinting that they knew he did 6 months in advance. And now, when he just started considering dating her, they tell him he should just date her. It was frustrating.

"Shut up. I don't need _you_ Song Woo Bin, of all people, to tell me about getting attached. And the two of you, stop laughing."

"Jan Di's been so excited for the two of you. She says she's quite sure you'll come to your senses soon and date her best friend. But I told her to give you some time. After all, you're just another guy in self-denial." Jun Pyo commented, in his can't-be-bothered tone, and gave a casual shrug. Woo Bin and Ji Hoo burst out in peals of laughter, and Yi Jung downed the rest of his wine.

"That's it. I'm out of here. I can't stand you guys disturbing me anymore. Bye."

He grabbed his coat, and flung it over his shoulders and walked out of the pub, in a way which made the girls around him swoon. He got into the car waiting, surprisingly without any girls on either arm. He even surprised himself.

"Head home. Take a long, slow route."

He needed some silence to clear his frustrations.

The night was young, so young in fact, that people on the streets seemed to be heading for the clubs instead of going home, and Yi Jung observed them with much interest through the tinted window of his car, which travelled very slowly, like how he wanted, with credit to his chauffeur.

_So this is how it looks like to people who don't club._ He smirked at the thought of girls, patiently waiting for his arrival, only to be disappointed. He watched as people swarmed to the entrance of famous clubs. They drove by a pub Yi Jung had never noticed, and he saw a couple walking out of it. But something didn't seem right. The girl looked young, and very drunk, and the guy was dragging her, not supporting her, or helping her.

Yi Jung knew it was none of his business. He had seen countless careless girls get taken advantage of many times on his daily night excursions to the clubs. But somehow, this time, it didn't feel right on his conscience to leave things as it was, something was just bugging him.

"Stop the car."

He stepped out of the vehicle and adjusted his blazer before turning towards the oncoming couple. He sincerely hoped that guy, whoever he was, knew about the famous So Yi Jung. He didn't want to have to resort to violence for a girl he had no clue about. As they drew closer, Yi Jung stepped right in front of the guy's path. The guy looked at him with a frown.

"What do you want?" He was clearly irritated that Yi Jung had obstructed him.

"What do you think you're doing to that girl?" Yi Jung tried to sound as cool as possible, though the guy had shown obvious cluelessness to who he was.

The guy looked at the girl in his hands, and pulled her closer.

"She's my girlfriend. Any problem with that?" Yi Jung would've loved to say 'no' and leave things as they were, but was slightly irritated with the guy's tone, and decided to make sure the guy didn't get his way.

"Let me go… Away!" The drunken girl exclaimed in non-local English, and pushed herself away from her 'boyfriend' and stumbled. It was just reflex that Yi Jung had went ahead and caught her in his embrace. She clung onto his shirt, and for some reason he had no clue about, started crying gently.

"Oppa… oppa, save me." She sobbed into the front of his shirt. Yi Jung's eyes widened with surprise and he immediately made use of the situation. He looked to the other guy, fierce eyes meeting those of sudden cowardliness.

"You thought I wouldn't recognise my own sister's boyfriend?! My sister would never date a jerk like you who takes advantage of depressed young girls! And I would beat up anyone who dares to do something like that to her!" The guy showed immediate fear and started retreating.

"I'm sorry… I'm Sorry!" and with that the guy turned around and ran as far as his legs could carry him. Yi Jung decided to add in, "and don't you dare forget the face and power of So Yi Jung!"

He looked down at the crying girl in his arms. _Aish, what do I do with her now? I can't just bring her to any hotel and leave her there; she might wake up tomorrow morning and panic._ Yi Jung supported her to his car and slowly guided her in.

"Let's go home, please drive faster now."

"Sir, the girl…"

"We'll have to bring her home." And with that, the car went off.

He let her rest against him as he patted her comfortingly on her shoulder. She cried herself to sleep, at some points even calling out for her family members every now and then, very quietly, and always speaking in English.

Yi Jung twirled her tied up locks around his fingers, she was definitely Asian, but it didn't seem as if she was Korean, since she didn't speak it. But he couldn't be certain of any of his speculations, seeing how after a search of all her pockets, he couldn't find any wallet of passport, and she had been passed over without any personal belongings. It was only a few seconds later that Yi Jung came to a conclusion. He had let the guy from before off too easily, that jerk had so obviously mugged her.

It was already past 12 by the time they had reached home. The house was silent and dark, as usual. His chauffeur wanted to lend a hand in helping Yi Jung support the girl into the house, but Yi Jung had already carried her up in his arms and walked into the darkness of his house on his own.

No one would be at home to question any of his actions, no one ever did. He had been living on his own for years. Yi Jung leaned against his bedroom door and pushed himself into the room. He looked at the couch in the corner of his room, then to his bed, then to the tear-stained face of the girl he held in his arms.

He immediately moved to put her onto his bed and tucked her underneath the covers. He didn't know why he was doing all these for someone he didn't even know the name of. Leaving a pub so early was one thing, helping a girl in danger was another, bringing a girl home was usual; but not ending up sleeping with the girl he brought home was another. He was certainly surprising himself that night.

He loosened up his tie and unbuttoned the first few buttons of his shirt as he settled himself onto the couch. He sighed as he looked at her through the darkness. She looked so young and innocent while she was sleeping. Why would a girl like that get herself drunk so bad?

He sighed as he closed his eyes and started to drift off to sleep. It was surely going to be a chaotic morning by the time he opened his eyes, and he wanted to have the energy to face it.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

_Yi Jung_

A super high pitched scream woke Yi Jung up from his peaceful sleep. He thought he was dreaming, there wasn't anyone else in his house… or was there? His sparkling eyes immediately sprung open as he sat up on the couch. He looked to where his bed was and saw a girl, no, _the_ girl, sitting up on his bed. She stared at Yi Jung with the most fearful eyes he had seen in quite a while and it kind of scared Yi Jung too.

"Do you… speak Korean?" He asked her hesitantly in the language he knew best. She looked at him, face now a mix of fear and confusion.

_(From this point forth, all conversations anyone makes with the girl is in English, unless otherwise stated.)_

"Okay, you speak English right?" She stared at him in silence without showing any sign of understanding. He didn't expect her say anything anyway.

"Okay, well, don't be afraid. I didn't do anything to you when I brought you here last night. Nor am I planning to do anything. I promise." He noticed that her eyes showed less fear but more suspicion, and it prompted him to go on.

"I'm So Yi Jung, and this is my house. I'll tell you everything that happened last night but before that, I need to know how I may address you." She seemed hesitant, not sure if he could be trusted. Yi Jung tried to reassure her he had good intentions by flashing a comforting smile. He walked closer to where she was.

"Soo Min." She surprised him. He had only heard her high-pitched cries, her screams, her whispers, but he had not heard her actual voice, which was not as high as he had thought to be and it was a calm and peaceful voice that she had spoken with, although he could tell she was still frightened.

"Ah… So you have a Korean name! Are you Korean?"

"No."

"Oh. Okay Soo Min-sshi, this was what happened…" He went on to tell her the whole story, trying to recall as many details as possible to convince her he was telling the truth. All the while he was speaking; he could see a frown form on her face, and suspicion everywhere.

By the time he had finished, he has successfully managed to seat himself on the side of the bed without getting any negative reaction from her. He paused to look at her. She was staring hard at the sheets, trying to recall past events, and almost forgetting his presence.

"Ah!" She suddenly turned to him, eyes wide as orbs.

"Oh no oh no oh no…" She pushed aside the covers and got out of the bed. She rushed out to the front door and looked around for her shoes frantically. She rushed out to the main road and looked for a taxi. Yi Jung followed behind her.

"You know, its 7am in the morning on a Sunday. There are hardly any cabs around this area at this time. And where are you rushing to?"

"To the pub. I must have left it there."

"Left what there? Your wallet? Passport? I think the guy who tried to take advantage of you took all your belongings." She didn't seem to care. She turned around and grabbed his hand frantically.

"Please Mr So, do you have a car? Can you take me back to the pub? I left something extremely important there. I need to get it back."

"Mr So??" He was infuriated, but he saw her pleading eyes and decided not to pursue it. "Fine, come on. I'll drive you there."

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Yi Jung waited in the car outside the pub as Soo Min went in search for her 'extremely important' thing. He didn't have to wait for her, since she got out of the car so quickly without making any arrangements with him. But he did anyway, since he figured she had no where to go, and had no money.

He watched through his side mirror as she emerged from the pub, hugging something that looked like a wooden box tightly to her. She spotted his topless car and skipped over happily. Standing on the pavement, she shook the box in her hands and smiled brightly at him.

"I found it! Thanks so much!"

"Great… are you getting in?" She tilt her head to one side questioningly.

"Why should I? I've found what I needed. I just came to say thanks!" He frowned at her and sighed as he leaned over to push the door on her side open.

"I can tell you've got a strong character and positive spirit but seriously, you have no where to go, no money, no passport. Where do you think you can go? Before you manage to get your hands on your money and passport again, I can lend you some clothes and meals. And I've already proven I'm not the kind of guy to take advantage of you." He could see her hesitation, but felt proud of himself when she opened the door wider and got into the seat beside him. He always knew he had the gift of persuasion.

"I admit I don't have any other way out either. So I'll take your kind offer. Sorry for the inconvenience, and thanks for the help. I promise I'll repay you for everything Mr So."

"Yi Jung. Just Yi Jung." He flashed his boyish smile at her before stepping on the accelerator.


	3. Chapter 3

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Thanks for the comments, even if some were not too good. This story just came into my mind when I was watching the drama, and I know no one likes the idea of Yi Jung with another girl. Well, I don't know how to tell you without revealing anything but all I can say is… I'm a Soeulmates fan too. ;) So just bear with me here. But I can't help it if you don't like it, so don't read it.

To those who read it and gave me encouragement, even though you didn't like the idea of Yi Jung with this girl one bit, thank you so much. I'll try my best not to disappoint you guys and try to update, even though I'll be really busy.

To Anon, thanks for the constructive feedback! I re-read chapter 1 and I can see why you were confused. When YiJung shouted at that guy, I meant for him to mean that he would recognise his "sister's" boyfriend, and that he could tell the stranger was not her boyfriend. Okay, I think I just confused you further. Haha!

Oh and about the issue about why he took interest in her all of a sudden, I think it'll be a bit clearer in Chapter 4 or 5. Yes, I know I'm updating slowly. Sorry about that! Please do continue to tell me if the story gets confusing anytime! (:

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Chapter Three

"So, what's that in the box that is _so extremely _important that you had to get it back first thing in the morning?"

"It _is_ important okay!"

"Alright alright! Don't blow up at me! So just what is it?" Yi Jung turned to look at the girl in the passenger seat.

"It's my-Hey! How come there are so many men-in-black gathered there?" She pointed straight ahead. Yi Jung whipped his head around and saw the men gathered around a sleek black car that greatly resembled his gr-

"No. Way. How could I forget?" He muttered curses under his breath as he pulled up in his driveway. The two of them watched in silence as one of the black-suited men swung opened the door of the black car. A cold aura seemed to wash over Yi Jung as he watched the lady step out onto his driveway. She looked at him and smirked.

"So Yi Jung. Making her wait outside an empty house is no way to welcome your Halmeoni." She smiled, lips pressed into a thin line. Soo Min looked at the lady with her mouth open. _Halmeoni?_ She turned to look at Yi Jung's blank face. He looked over twenty. There was no way that lady, who looked like she was only in her mid-fifties, could be Yi Jung's Grandmother.

Yi Jung shook himself from his shock and scrambled out of the car, gesturing to Soo Min to do the same.

"Halmeoni," He greeted. "Sorry, I forgot that you were visiting today. We went to run an errand." Soo Min stayed on her side of the car. She didn't want to get herself involved when they conversed so quickly in Korean, a language she had just started trying to learn.

"We?" Yi Jung's grandmother looked interestingly at the girl who looked absolutely lost. She turned back to Yi Jung with a sly smile and punched him lightly on the shoulder. "Aye…I never knew you had a girlfriend…"

"AH. No no no no… you've got it wrong. She's not my girlfriend, she just som-" His grandmother put her finger on his lips.

"Let's carry on this conversation inside shall we?" She turned towards the house. Yi Jung rushes forward to unlock the gate, and looks over at Soo Min.

"Would you mind taking a walk around the neighbourhood for a while and come back in about an hou-"

"I don't think so Yi Jung. The girl comes in with us." The old woman had the corners of her mouth turned up in a playful smile as she gestured at the confused girl to join her. Yi Jung sighed.

"She wants you to join us. Come on." She just stood there. He walked around her and gave her a slight push from the back, urging her feet forward.

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The clink of the porcelain plates against the glass of the coffee table resounded in the silence. Yi Jung poured the freshly brewed green tea in each of the three cups and took his seat across his grandmother and beside Soo Min. Grandma So picked up her teacup with grace and took a sip, all the while eyeing Soo Min.

Yi Jung felt sudden fear for the girl on his right. His Grandmother was known for her stinging criticism. However, he was surprised. Though she looked every bit… he didn't know how to put it… un-_refined_, Soo Min handled her cup the exact way a traditional tea drinker would. Yi Jung felt a sudden burst of pride, although he had no idea why, as he watched the corners of his grandmother's mouth go up in satisfaction.

"So clearly, this girl here doesn't understand our language. Would you like to tell me how you are related to her, Yi Jung, or would you rather I question the foreigner myself?" Yi Jung noticed the mocking gaze behind her fake smile.

"It's nothing. I just saved her from a guy who clearly had bad intentions and decided it was safer for her here than just leaving her at some hotel, which would have completely freaked her out this morning."

"What a gentleman. There's nothing more than that I suppose?" Yi Jung shook his head. "Then you wouldn't mind me asking her a few questions?" Yi Jung stiffened at her request, but decided there was nothing he could do. Grandma So turned to the girl, who was so lost at the conversation that she had busied herself with sipping her tea continuously, and her cup was now empty. The old lady chuckled.

"May I ask you what's your name? You can call me Grandma So."

"It's good to meet you Grandma So. My name is Soo Min."

"Soo Min? Is there anything before Soo Min?" The girl frowned at the confusing question. What did this grandmother of Yi Jung expect? _Princess_ Soo Min?

"Nope. Just Soo Min." Grandma So's expression showed obvious disappointment, but Soo Min couldn't quite put her finger to what answer she wanted. She was completely unaware that Grandma So had been asking for her surname. Normal people didn't really bother about your surname, but Yi Jung and his relatives were not the average family, and Soo Min hadn't known that yet.

Yi Jung knew his grandmother was planning to do a family search on the poor girl, but he saw that she was oblivious to this and smiled. The girl was saving her own skin by being completely clueless. Grandma So seemed to give up, and moved on with her interrogation.

"So, pardon me for being rude, but how long are you planning to stay in my grandson's residence?" Soo Min was quite taken aback by her sudden straightforwardness.

"Er… just until… just until I can renew my passport and see if I can get the bank to replace my card… which should be very fast. Then I promise I'll leave. I have a university to attend." This surprised both Yi Jung and his grandmother.

"You're attending university here?"

"Yeah, I was actually enrolled quite some time ago. I just didn't… I mean I delayed attending it for two years. I'm lucky they're agreeing to accept me again. So I promise I'll be out of here very quickly." She seemed afraid that her being at Yi Jung's house would upset his grandmother. Grandma So laughed to herself.

"I seemed to have put the wrong message across. I didn't mean to make you feel like I was chasing you out. You can stay as long as you like, or until your university semester begins at least. It's only January, and class only starts in March right?" Her overly sweet tone bothered Yi Jung. And what did she mean by _you can stay as long as you like_? This was _his_ house for goodness sake.

"No no, it's alright. It does start in March but I think I'll feel better if I go earlier and besides, I need to get use to the campus and all. Thank you for the kind offer but I think I'll be okay." Yi Jung heaved a sigh of relief. His grandmother heard him and sent a death glare in his direction.

"No. You can stay. Yi Jung says that you can stay for the meantime and promises that he'll make sure you get used to the campus before your school starts, even if he's never attended whatever university you're going to, right Yi Jung?"

"But I-" Yi Jung tried to start but was interrupted yet again.

"_Right_, So Yi Jung?" Her acid glare sent shivers down his spine. He couldn't understand why the old lady would want to help the girl. She was usually too eager to scare away any girl she saw him with. Not Ga Eul though. She had yet to meet Ga Eul. Yi Jung turned to his right.

"Yeah, I promise. You can stay." He could see she was about to refuse again and cut her off before she began. "Just make my life easier and stay, okay?" She nodded her head, too quickly, out of fear. Yi Jung realized he had been glaring menacingly at her while he said that and immediately felt sorry.

"Well, that's that. I think we're done here boys." Grandma So gestured to the men-in-black standing behind her. She started for the door and Yi Jung caught up with her, holding her arm and whispering fiercely in Korean.

"What was all that for? I don't even know her that well!"

"She does seem like a promising young girl though, and she's going to a university! She must be really good for them to re-accept a two-year-late enrolment on her part. Maybe if one day she becomes well-known at whatever she's majoring in, she'll remember all you've done and mention you in her speech or something. See all the benefits of this?"

"Halmeoni! You really think I can't create a name for myself? I'm already famous!"

"Whatever So Yi Jung. Just do what I say. I have a good feeling about this girl."

"What?!"

"See you soon my grandson. The next time I come by, you better not be out of the house again you hear me!"

Yi Jung slumped against the frame of his front door and waved and the departing car. He saw movement at the corner of his eye and turned to see Soo Min waving too. She turned to him.

"I'm making your life difficult huh. Really sorry. I can leave now if you want, she won't be coming around anytime soon right?"

"That's probably true, but you should just stay. I wouldn't take any chances."

"I can tell! I saw the way your face froze when she approached you in the car. I would have laughed out loud if the aura surrounding her wasn't so scary." She laughed out now, when the old lady was no where in sight.

"You weren't any better off! You should her seen yourself! Looking totally lost."

"It's not like I can help that. I _was_ completely lost."

"And you plan on going to university in three months time."

"Yep, I'm thinking of getting past all my assignments by trying to convince my teachers that I completely don't understand them." She acted out being completely clueless at what an invisible teacher was saying. They both laughed.


End file.
